Bucking the trend of big-gabled domestic architecture in various Craftsman or "English" styles, the foursquare stucco 3920 Wilshire was built by developer Frank H. Stanbery in 1913 after he was issued a permit by the Department of Buildings on July 24 of that year; it was described in the July 26 Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer as having 10 rooms and a footprint of 44 by 59 feet, with a red tile roof. After acquiring the house in the spring of 1917, Hollywood actor and director Donald MacDonald added a tea house and a garage with servants' quarters to the rear of the property. As did many houses on its stretch of Wilshire Boulevard—one generally neglected by major redevelopment—3920 survived for decades. A permit for its demolition was issued by the Department of Building and Safety on April 17, 1974.